


Operation: Shen Jiayi survival method

by Lin_Xiaolong



Series: Operation: Shen Jiayi [1]
Category: GDC - Fandom, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, MDZS, Mo Dao Zu Shi, wangxian - Fandom, 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 魔道祖师 | Módào Zǔshī (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, OOC, Transmigration, futuristic man, omega-oc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:41:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25260295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lin_Xiaolong/pseuds/Lin_Xiaolong
Summary: Shen Jiayi is a researcher in a futuristic world where the technologies have gone beyond human imagination. Most of the work were done by the AI and humans have an AI chip planted in their brain to help them do their daily life - from shopping to browsing the net.Shen Jiayi is a fan of a novel that was written a long time ago and has always been fascinated with the characters. Especially one called Xue Yang, whom he felt was the most pitiful in the story. In fact, he felt that the character was wronged too much that he ends up doing research for a time-travelling machine. He hoped that he could convince the author to change Xue Yang’s fate.Unfortunately, an accident happens during one of his testings, and the machine exploded. Shen Jiayi, who stood very close to the machine became a casualty. But rather than dying, he found himself being transferred to another world instead. And it was even the world of a novel that he had come to love.
Relationships: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Sòng Lán | Sòng Zǐchēn/Xiǎo Xīngchén
Series: Operation: Shen Jiayi [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1902148
Comments: 15
Kudos: 58





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time trying to write a MDZS fanfiction. If there is anything that does not conform to the universe's logic, do forgive this author.

It was year 274 of the Interstellar Era, and human civilisation has advanced more than one could imagine. Space travelling is now common and humans even have their own colony in the space.

Within one of the colonies belonging to the Human Federation, Shen Jiayi was again, reading the novel that was found during an expedition on planet Earth ten years ago. The novel wasn’t complete as some of the content went missing. But that did not stop Shen Jiayi from enjoying the novel.

When he first read the story, he was intrigued. Then, he grew attached to one of the characters. It was only unfortunate that this character was fated to die in the story. Shen Jiayi has always felt that the author had wronged this character too much. It was to the point that Shen Jiayi, a well-known researcher of the Human Federation, decided to dive into the theory of time-travel.

Others thought that Shen Jiayi’s intention was noble. They had thought that the reason Shen Jiayi wanted to create a time-travelling machine is that he wanted to contribute in trying to restore Earth. After all, the main reason why they had to stay in the colony was that Earth was no longer inhabitable - destroyed by humankind’s hands. If only they knew that Shen Jiayi’s reason is so that he could meet the author in order to convince the author to amend part of the story.

The door to his room opened, but Shen Jiayi was deep in his own world as he read his favourite novel. It wasn’t until a voice called out to him did he return to reality.

“Professor Shen, it’s almost time to test the Time Machine,” a gentle voice sounded making Shen Jiayi turn his head to the direction of the voice. The owner of the voice belonged to a female who is appeared to be in her thirties, but never let her appearance fool you. Even before the time when humans started to live in space, their lifespan had become longer. This woman, Han Yueying, is already in her eighties. But for them who could live up to 500 years, eighty years old is still considered young.

“Assistant Han, can’t you at least knock?” Shen Jiayi said with a slight frown on his face.

“I did. I even sent you a message through your light brain but you did not respond,” Han Yueying replied.

“ _Xiao_ Tang didn’t inform me at all!” Shen Jiayi said before a robotic voice sounded throughout the room.

[Small Candy: Master had commanded me not to disturb him while he read the book. This command was given at 3:15:41 which is one hour, 45 minutes and 20 seconds ago.]

Shen Jiayi: …

“In any case,” Han Yueying said as she looked straight at Shen Jiayi. “We have finished the final adjustment for the machine. It is time to test it for its use.”

Shen Jiayi stared at the woman before him before letting out a heavy sigh. “Alright, alright. I’ll go,” Shen Jiayi said as he closed the window of the novel that he has been reading. “I still think that we need more time before doing this. I feel like there is something that is still missing and-”

“I know. But the higher-ups are getting impatient.”

Hearing how the higher-ups were mentioned, Shen Jiayi clicked his tongue to show his dissatisfaction. “Fine. Let’s go then.”

[Small Candy: Master, I’ve just received a notification that Marshal Theodore came to visit you.]

When Shen Jiayi heard the marshal’s name, black lines appeared on his face and his mood became even worse.

“Tell him I’m busy!” Shen Jiayi said before adding: “And block him from entering the research center!”

[Small Candy: Affirmative. Blocking the Marshal’s ID is successful. Does the master requires any further assistance?]

“No. That is all.”

“Professor Shen, is that really alright? He’s the alpha that the higher-ups had assigned you to…” Han Yueying who heard this can’t help but voice out her worry.

“And?” Shen Jiayi asked as he started to walk towards the door of his room.

“Since the two of you are engaged, you’ll need to deal with him sooner or later. You are almost eighteen, your first heat will be soon,” Han Yueying said to Shen Jiayi.

“Engaged my ass! The higher-ups decided that without my consent. I refuse to accept him as my fiance!” Shen Jiayi retorted. “Do they think that just because I’m an omega,they can dictate my life?! Choosing a pair is very important! I will find my own fated pair and live with them happily ever after!”

“You’re being delusional. There is no such thing as fated pair,” Han Yueying decided to pour a cold bucket to Shen Jiayi’s childish dream.

“Shut up or I’m going to lock myself in my room. Then this test will have to be delayed again!”

“…” Han Yueying immediately kept quiet after Shen Jiayi’s threat. This experiment is too important and needed Shen Jiayi’s participation considering he’s the head of the research.

If she’s being honest, she is actually jealous of Shen Jiayi. At the age of 14, Shen Jiayi was known as the genius who only arrives once in a millennium.

Most of the replication of the Earth’s plant was researched by him, which helped the colony to enjoy the beautiful sight of having some greeneries to decorate the once barren metal enclosure.

They arrived at where the Time Machine was and Shen Jiayi went closer to inspect it. “I’ll say this first. The chance of failure is around 95%. Because the higher-ups are the one forcing this, I will not be responsible for the result,” Shen Jiayi said out loud for everyone in the room to hear.

“Start the machine up.”

With his order, the researcher within the room started to get busy. As power was pumped into the machine, it lets out a whirring sound and Shen Jiayi monitored the data with his light brain.

[Small Candy: Status all-green. The start-up is successful.]

The AI within his light brain reported.

“Begin to open the dimensional rift!” Shen Jiayi gave out his order.

As the researcher busied themselves, Shen Jiayi continued to monitor the data that has started to spike up dangerously.

[Small Candy: Alert! Code-Orange! Advising the master to abort!]

“Wait a moment more, Xiao Tang. It’s too early to stop the experiment,” Shen Jiayi told the AI. The amount of data continue to raise and Shen Jiayi started to take note of the bugs that he could find.

[Small Candy: Alert! Alert! Code-Red! Advising the master to abort!]

The AI voiced out again and Shen Jiayi could only sigh. He saved the data that collected and was just about to give out order to his underlings when his AI sounded again.

[Small Candy: Abnormal energy fluctuation detected! Advising the master to find shel-bbzzztt!]

The AI’s sentence was cut off and Shen Jiayi’s eyes widened as he watched the machine before him turned bright red. Not long after, his body was illuminated by bright lights before the machine exploded.

The explosion of the Time Machine was so huge that it had damaged the research center. The casualties were high, and the higher-ups of the Human Federation had became speechless.

The citizens of the Human Federation blamed them for being hasty, and even caused the death of someone who could have restored Earth.

In the end, the research of Time Travelling is gone simply like that. Humankind could only lament that they can only wait for another genius like Shen Jiayi to appear which may not happen in another millennium.


	2. Chapter 2

Shen Jiayi opened his eyes only to see a dilapidated ceiling above him. He slowly blinked his eyes and tried to recollect what had just happened. _‘The experiment failed and… I was caught in an explosion. I should’ve died?’_ Shen Jiayi thought. _‘But, why does a dead person still feels pain? And why am I in this sorry state of a building?’_

Questions upon questions appeared in Shen Jiayi’s mind as he turned his head to take in his surrounding. From what he gathered, he is currently in a small hut. The bed he’s laying on seemed to have been made of wood, which is hard and simply not helping with his discomfort.

“ _Xiao_ Tang, am I dead?” Shen Jiayi decided to ask the AI within his light brain.

[Small Candy: Nega-zzzt-tive]

There was a disruption with the AI’s answer but at least Shen Jiayi knew now that he is not dead yet. Just as he was about to sigh in relief, he noticed that something was wrong with his voice. Compared to before, it was softer and sounded more childish. As if that his voice has yet to break.

“ _Xiao_ Tang! Show me the data of my body,” Shen Jiayi said and before long, a semi-transparent window panel appeared, hovering before his eyes.

[Name: Shen Jiayi]

[Gender: Male - Omega]

[Age: 7]

[Status: Green]

[Body Condition: Slight fracture in the right arm, more specifically - the Ulna. Other light wounds such as bruising.]

[Suggestion for optimal recovery: The bruise will disappear in a few days, but for the fracture, it is suggested to avoid using the right arm excessively.]

[Alternative: Use the Regenerative Spray to help mend the bone faster.]

Shen Jiayi stared at the panel and his eyes are trained on the information that stated his age. _‘Seven? Seven years old?! And this hut… Did I successfully time travel? Wait, why did I regress back to a seven-year-old? Was it a side effect?’_

While Shen Jiayi was deep in thought, the door to the hut was slid open to reveal an old man wearing only a pant. Shen Jiayi’s eyes immediately went over to him and couldn’t help but become curious. The old man’s appearance was just like the hut, a sorry state. He was skinny to the point that his skin stuck to his bone. His cheeks were hollowed and his eyes appeared tired.

The old man turned his head towards Shen Jiayi’s direction and upon realising that Shen Jiayi is now awake, his eyes widened and Shen Jiayi could see the excitement in the once appeared dead before.

“Ah! You’re finally awake! Good. Good! It was not a waste for this old man to save you!” the old man said. “This old man doesn’t know if the venerable immortal lord can repay this old man?”

Hearing the old man’s sentence, Shen Jiayi was utterly confused. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Aiya! The immortal lord doesn’t need to hide it from me. You suddenly appeared out of thin air, it must be one of those magic tools that helped you, right? This old man helped carry you and tended to your injury… so…”

The old man continued to ramble but his explanation made no sense to Shen Jiayi. _‘What immortal lord? What magic tool?! Is there something wrong with this old man’s head?’_

When the old man noticed that Shen Jiayi only appeared more and more confused, he suddenly became sceptical. “Lord…?” he called out with slight hesitation.

“I… I-I’m sorry. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Shen Jiayi said truthfully.

“Did the Lord lose his memories…?” the old man asked.

Shen Jiayi didn’t understand his current situation and he felt that if he denied losing his memories, it’ll make his situation worse. So in the end, he could only nod his head.

“I see. Of course. That explains why you were covered in injuries! You must’ve been attacked! Don’t worry, this town is very close to Gusu city! Tomorrow, this old man will go and ask a friend to help us go there! Surely there will be someone who will recognise the lord!” the old man said excitedly.

The moment the name Lanling city came out of the old man’s lips, Shen Jiayi’s eyes widened in disbelief. He quickly sat up from the bed and dragged his body as he rushed to the old man. Holding the old man’s skinny arm, Shen Jiayi asked him in a frantic voice: “Earlier, what city did you say this town was close to?! Can you repeat that again?”

The old man thought that maybe, Shen Jiayi felt the name of the city was familiar so he was even more assured that the one he saved was indeed an immortal cultivator. “Gusu City, it is where the Gusu Lan sect is based. Does the name ring any bell for the venerable immortal lord?”

Shen Jiayi didn’t reply, but his brain is currently trying to process what is currently happening to him. _‘Gusu city, Gusu Lan sect… isn’t that one of the sect that appeared in the novel? Don’t tell me, I transmigrated into a novel?!’_

“Mister, can you tell me anything big that happened recently?” Shen Jiayi asked.

“Of course! Recently, there was several young masters from the immortal sects came to Gusu to study at the Cloud Recess of the Gusu Lan sect! When this old man found the lord, this old man noticed that the lord was wearing a white robe which is what the people of the Gusu Lan sect usually wears and-”

Shen Jiayi didn’t bother to listen to the old man anymore. From what he gathered thus far, it seems that it is true that he had transmigrated into the novel world. _‘Several young masters come to Gusu to study at the Cloud Recess? If those young masters are Wei Wuxian, Jiang Chen, Nie Huaisang and Jin Zixuan… then my baby must’ve already been bullied to the point of blackening! Damn it! Dear god, if you decided to transmigrate me, why can’t you transmigrate me to a much earlier timeline, ah!’_

_'Also, this old man seemed to have misunderstood my identity due to my research coat... speaking of which...'_

Shen Jiayi looked down on his own body and indeed, just like the data shown to him earlier, his body has regressed to that of seven-year-old. Even the little brother that dangles between his legs is smaller.

Shen Jiayi: ...

"Why am I naked? Where are my clothes?" Shen Jiayi asked the old man. _'Don't tell me this old man took advantage of me when I was unconscious!?'_

Seeing that Shen Jiayi appeared furious, the old man panicked. "The lord's clothes were washed! This old man didn't steal it!"

Shen Jiayi narrowed his eyes and saw that the old man was truly terrified just based on the amount of sweat forming on his forehead. Not wanting to pursue this, and with an addition that he feels uncomfortable being naked, he decided to drop the matter.

He tried to access his spatial storage but realized that his collar went missing. Panicked, Shen Jiayi's hand went to cover the back of his neck where his glands is. "Did you also take off my collar?!"

"Collar? This old man didn't see it. Didn't see it!" the old man replied.

Shen Jiayi's sense of danger rose with the absence of his collar, so he didn't want to deal with this old man any longer. Accessing his spatial storage via his light brain, Shen Jiayi took out a set of simple clothes and put them on quickly. Luckily, with future technology, clothes are now able to resize itself to fit the wearer's body.

The old man who saw this couldn't help but be awed. "The immortals indeed could do things beyond imagination..." he murmured in a soft voice.

Once he was done being dressed, Shen Jiayi also took out his extra inhibition collar and put them on. Feeling how the collar secured around his neck, covering his glands, he finally felt calmer. He turned to face the old man and saw how the old man is staring at him with awe.

_'Based on my understanding, this man should be a non-cultivator. My action must've seemed like a cultivator to him,'_ Shen Jiayi thought to himself. Deciding to take advantage of the misunderstanding, Shen Jiayi cleared his throat and spoke with a serious tone.

"Since you have saved me... I'll give you this in return," Shen Jiayi took out a small lighter. "With this, it should be easier to create fire," he added as he showed the old man how the lighter work.

The old man looked at him with awe and when Shen Jiayi handed the lighter to him, he held it like it was a kind of magical relic. "Thank you, thank you. This old man will cherish this gift that the venerable lord has bestowed to this old man."

As the old man continued to thank Shen Jiayi, the now little transmigrated genius was trying to converse with his AI.

_'Xiao Tang, in this world of cultivation, help me check if I can do so with my current body.'_

[Small Candy: Bzt-Affirma-zzt-tive. Master can try to absorb the Spiritual Qi available around-zzzt us.]

There was still the interference and Shen Jiayi was worried that something bad happened to his AI. _'Xiao Tang... did you suffer any damage from the teleportation?'_

[Small Candy: System suffe-zzt-red 89% damage]

_'Begin restoration process. Then reboot.'_

[Small Candy: Starting the restoration process... 5%... 15%... 80%... 100%. Complete.]

[Small Candy: System all-green. No bugs detected.]

_'Good. Now help me see how I can cultivate in this world. The faster the method, the better.'_

[Small Candy: Calculating the best way for the master to cultivate... By manually absorbing the spiritual qi, the effectiveness is 2%. Further methods need more data.]

Shen Jiayi: ...

Shen Jiayi understood what the AI meant by needing more data. It means that he needs to gather information from this world. _'Cloud Recess has a library full of cultivation manuals... That should be a good place to start but, how can I even get inside?'_

While Shen Jiayi was deep in thought, the old man was playing with the lighter. As if wanting to test it, he tried to light the small wood by the firepit. Seeing how the wood caught fire immediately, the old man was excited. The flames continued to grow and even started to spread out of the firepit.

The old man let out a panicked yelp which caused Shen Jiayi turned his head to see the slowly forming disaster. "What did you do, ah?! Why are you burning your own house?" Shen Jiayi asked in a slightly panicked tone.

"I-I was only trying to test the gift that the immortal lord gave me!" the old man cried out. "Immortal Lord, help. This old house is all this old man has left!"

Shen Jiayi didn't know whether to laugh or cry because he didn't have anything to extinguish the flame with. In the end, Shen Jiayi can only pull the old man out of the house before watching it burn down to the ground.

People in the town have gathered around to witness the 'demolition' of the house by fire and couldn't help shaking their head in pity. But that didn't last long before one of the townsmen yelled.

"The fire is still alive!! It's going to Old man Hu's house next!" he informed everyone. "Hurry and get the bucket of water! Kill that flame!"

With his words, the rest of the townspeople separated and each went to get the bucket before going to the well to fetch some water.

But alas, the fire only grew and Shen Jiayi became more and more helpless. He had forgotten that because of how humanity has lived in the space, they researched on a lot of things. This fire is not a normal fire. It was something that they researched by using the fire on the sun as the base material. They called it 'True Flame'.

Normal water will not be able to extinguish it. Even back in the colony, they needed a special extinguisher to extinguish the flame.

Soon, the flames have licked half of the town and Shen Jiayi calculated the damage in his mind out of habit. _'I... have only arrived in this world but it looks like I'm already buried in debt. A huge, debt.'_

Just as Shen Jiayi cried in his mind, he heard a collective gasp before he heard someone screaming with renewed vigour.

"Look! Up in the sky! It's the Lord Immortals from Cloud Recess! They've come to help us!"


	3. Chapter 3

When they received news that a small town near Gusu was ravaged by undying flames, they thought that it was some evil spirit causing a ruckus. But when they arrived, they couldn't feel any resentment, let alone anything evil.

Lan Qiren stared at the flames with a scrutinizing look. He couldn't understand how it has come to this, but in order to minimize the damage, they will need to help the townspeople to extinguish the flame.

"Xichen, Wangji, go bring the other guest cultivators and evacuate the townsmen. The rest will follow me to extinguish the flames," he gave out his order. 

With the task divided, the cultivators moved. Shen Jiayi was still staring at the cultivators who had just arrived and felt that even though he has accepted the fact that he had transmigrated into a novel, this is still unreal.

Shen Jiayi was brought to safety and the cultivators began to put out the fire. Several water talismans were being thrown out and before long, the flames finally died. _'In the hands of these cultivators… the so-called True Flame can't even compare…'_ Shen Jiayi thought to himself.

"Are you alright?" Shen Jiayi heard a gentle voice coming from his side. Turning his head slightly, he could see a young cultivator dressed in white. The hems of the sleeve of the robe were wide and by their lapel, there was a design of a floating cloud embroidered on it if one were to look carefully. Even the forehead ribbon was just as Shen Jiayi imagined when he read the novel back then. This was the attire that the Lan clans often seen to be wearing.

"I'm alright. Thank you… umm…" Shen Jiayi paused as he wasn't sure how to address this young man. From the other's height, he should be the same age as him. The him before he transmigrated that is. But now he is regressed to a seven-year-old, how should he address this person? Brother? Mister? Uncle?

" _Zewu-jun_ , we've just finished making sure that everyone has been evacuated. What should we do next?" another cultivator came over to ask the person dressed in the Lan clan's clothing.

"En. Let's wait for uncle's next instruction."

_'So, he's Lan Xichen. Compared to how I imagined him to be, he looks even more gentle…'_ In that short conversation, Shen Jiayi already managed to figure out the gentle cultivator's identity. His eyes then went to look at the rest of the young cultivator around him, picking out the people whom he can guess. _'Then that stoic looking man should be his younger brother, Lan Wangji. The person sticking to him should be Wei Wuxian, this novel's main protagonist.'_

His eyes move again and landed on another person. Just from the mannerism alone, he could single out this person to be Nie Huaisang. There were two other people beside him, and Shen Jiayi knew one of them is Jin Zixuan and that leaves the other to be Jiang Cheng.

_'All of them are too good looking, ah! Such fine men… it is too bad that they are only fictional characters,'_ Shen Jiayi inwardly sigh.

"Venerable Lord! There, it's that boy!" Shen Jiayi suddenly heard a familiar voice from a distance and when he turned around, he saw the old man who had saved him was talking to a cultivator while pointing at him. He felt that something had gone wrong, and his suspicion was right after he heard the old man's next sentence.

"He must be an evil spirit who had taken the body of a young boy! It was his fault that the town was burned down!"

When other townsmen heard what the old man had said, they all turned their eyes towards Shen Jiayi with fear, before taking a few steps away from him. Only the group of young cultivators didn't move.

Shen Jiayi who was suddenly accused of being evil spirit: …

_'Xiao Tang… what's the best way to deal with this situation? It wouldn't be good if they all think I'm an evil spirit…'_

[Small Candy: As a seven-year-old, the master can simply act like one. When a child is being bullied, they can only do one thing. Cry to their parents.]

_'But I don't have any parents here, ah!'_

[Small Candy: Then, the master can simply cry out loud and gain some pity.]

"…"

Speechless by his own AI's ruthlessness, Shen Jiayi wanted to curse out loud. But seeing how the eyes of the townsmen turned hostile, he could only bury his pride and followed the AI's suggestion.

Shen Jiayi forced himself to cry. The tears quickly formed and pooled within his eyes before it overflows down to his cheek. "I'm not an evil spirit…" he said as he tried not to choke on his tear.

[Small Candy: Good job, master. The pity meter is now at 40%.]

If Shen Jiayi wasn't busy acting, he would've broken out of his character right then. _'When did you start having pity meter, Xiao Tang?!'_

[Small Candy: You designed me to be the master of all. Naturally I have miscellaneous things such as these. The pity meter has risen to 60%. It is estimated that help will come once you raised it to another 5%. If you turn your head towards Lan Xichen's direction, there is 89% chance that help will come immediately.]

Hearing what the AI said, Shen Jiayi quickly turned his head to gaze towards Lan Xichen with a tearful face. He did not doubt his AI one bit. After all, in the novel, Lan Xichen was known to have a kind and gentle personality. But what he did not expect was that the one to move forwards was not Lan Xichen and instead, it was Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian arrived at his side quickly and had immediately lifted him up to the air. Shen Jiayi couldn't help but let out a yelp at being picked up so suddenly. It seemed that the other was trying to observe him, so Shen Jiayi only let out a pitiful sob as to not appear suspicious.

"I don't think he's being possessed by an evil spirit," Wei Wuxian said after a while. "I can't feel any resentment energy from him. Not to mention, if he really was an evil spirit, he wouldn't make his move in broad daylight."

"B-but… it was only because of his gift that-"

"It wasn't my fault…" Shen Jiayi cut off the old man's sentence. "Big brother, please believe me… I don't remember anything, and this old man said that he saved me. But he kept on saying that he wants to bring me to another town, and I suspect that he wants to sell me away…"

[Small Candy: Never expected the master can be a white-eyed wolf.]

_'Shut up! It's a matter of life and death here!'_ Shen Jiayi scolded the AI in his mind.

"That's not true! Don't listen to that evil creature! Look, this is what he gave me, and it is what caused that fire! It must be a magic tool!" the old man took out the lighter that Shen Jiayi had given him earlier and showed it to the cultivator beside him.

The cultivator inspected the lighter before shaking his head. "This is not a magic tool. I couldn't sense any array nor any spiritual energy within it," he said as he handed the lighter back to the old man.

"That's not true! Look!" the old man showed the cultivator how the lighter work and as soon as the flame was produced, the cultivator narrowed his eyes. He raised a finger and touched the fire, only to end up frowning when he noticed the heat was higher than what a normal fire should've been. "Well?"

"Put it out," the cultivator told the old man who immediately obeyed. "Hand that tool over. We'll investigate its origin," he added as he took the lighter from the old man.

"Is everything alright here?"

The moment the voice was heard, every disciple of the Gusu Lan sect turned and bowed to the owner respectfully. "This disciple has seen Master Lan," they all collectively said, making Shen Jiayi can't help but think if they had rehearsed this over a thousand times already.

_'I guess that's Lan Qiren. Based on the novel, I thought he would look old with tons of white hair but looking at him now, he's actually quite good looking too for his age…'_ Shen Jiayi's eyes were trained at Lan Qiren but he still didn't forget to let out a few sobbing sounds.

"Master, we found out the cause of that terrible fire," the cultivator who had taken the lighter reported and showed the items to Lan Qiren.

"This thing?" Lan Qiren touched his beard as he inspected the lighter. Seeing this scene, Shen Jiayi almost burst out laughing at how funny it looked to him. _Almost._

"This old man said it was that child that gave this item to him," the cultivator added as he pointed at Shen Jiayi who was still being held up by Wei Wuxian. "He suspected that the child was possessed by an evil spirit."

After that, the cultivator recounted what had transpired before to Lan Qiren who only nods his head as if understanding the situation. Once the cultivator finished with his report, Lan Qiren turned to the old man.

"Where did you find the child?"

"Answering to the Lord Immortal, this old man found the child when I went fishing near the river. He suddenly appeared up in thin air and fell into the river. This old man saved him because he was wearing a white robe, so I thought that he was a disciple of Gusu Lan sect…"

"White robe?" Lan Qiren's eyes went to Shen Jiayi. Lan Qiren frowned upon seeing him, and Shen Jiayi suddenly felt cold all over his body. "Where is his robe?"

"That…" the old man hesitated before turning to look at the half-burnt town.

With just looking, everyone understood what the old man wanted to say so Lan Qiren could only sigh. "Wangji, Xichen, have you seen this child before? Is he a member of our sect?"

"I haven't seen him," Lan Xichen was the first to answer and Lan Wangji nods his head. "Maybe the younger ones would know?"

"En. Then let us just bring him back. As for the rest of you, since the town is half destroyed, we'll bring you to Gusu for refuge. Once the town has been restored, you'll be free to return home. You four will escort the townspeople back to Gusu. The rest of you, follow me back," Lan Qiren gave out his order.

"And Wei Ying! Since you've already picked that child up, you're responsible for bringing him along!"


	4. Chapter 4

Shen Jiayi tightened his hold around Wei Wuxian's shoulder as they travelled across the sky on top of Suibian. _'Just imagine it's like a hoverboard... just imagine it's like a hoverboard...'_ Shen Jiayi chanted in his mind.

"Hey, you've been holding me tightly. Are you scared?" Wei Wuxian suddenly asked as he glanced behind towards Shen Jiayi who is currently on his back.

"I... no. Not scared..." Shen Jiayi replied timidly.

A grin formed on Wei Wuxian's lips and Shen Jiayi suddenly have a bad feeling in his heart. "Really? That's great! Then hold on tighter!"

As soon as those sentence left Wei Wuxian's lips, Shen Jiayi felt the speed of the sword increase. Not long after, Wei Wuxian began to play tricks, just like how Interstellar people would over their hoverboards.

If it really was like a hoverboard, Shen Jiayi wouldn't have minded. After all, the hoverboard can only hover 30cm above ground at max. But right now, they are travelling at high altitude!

_'Fucking Yiling Patriarch! This little imp! If I fall, I'd be turned into a meat paste, ah!!'_

Shen Jiayi cursed as he tightened his hold even more while praying that Wei Wuxian would stop playing around. Unfortunately, the heavens remain deaf to his prayer. In the end, Shen Jiayi's pupil rolled to the back of his eyes and he passed out.

When Wei Wuxian felt the weight on his back shifted, he turned his head only to see that Shen Jiayi was unconscious and he immediately stopped his pranks. "Little brother? Are you alright?" Wei Wuxian asked with a slight hint of worry.

"Heh, did you accidentally kill him from all the stunt you pulled?" Jiang Cheng asked as he guides his flying sword over to Wei Wuxian's side. "He's still breathing. Maybe just unconscious. Since he's out let's increase our speed and catch up with the rest," he said before he sped up to catch up to the rest of the group.

Wei Wuxian, who was trying to accommodate Shen Jiayi, had travelled slower than his usual speed. Now that Shen Jiayi is out, he repositioned Shen Jiayi into his arm and held him close to his chest. Only after making sure Shen Jiayi is safely secured in his arm did he speed up.

When Shen Jiayi regained his consciousness, he could smell a sweet fragrance of the burning aromatic incense. Opening his eyes, he found himself lying on a bed. The room was designed in a typical oriental design and Shen Jiayi's modern heart couldn't help but feel excited.

He sat up and continued to take in his surrounding, making sure to commit everything in his heart.

_'This world may be a fictional world but, these things should be how houses back in earth should look like in ancient times? Xiao Tang, be sure to record everything! If we ever find our way back, this can be considered a great finding!'_

[Small Candy: Duly noted.]

Getting off the bed, Shen Jiayi suddenly noticed his body felt different. To be more specific, the way his cloth clung to him felt immensely different. Looking down, he noticed that he was dressed in thin, white traditional garments. The first thing that came to his mind was how soft it felt to his skin. _'Xiao Tang, tell me what I'm wearing right now! It feels so nice and free! Unlike the sleeping wear back at home.'_

[Small Candy: To answer the master, what Master is currently wearing is called Zhongyi. It is the inner garment of a complete set of traditional clothes.]

[Small Candy: Also, in response to Master's last sentence, since when has Master worn any sleeping wear?]

"…"

Shen Jiayi knew what his AI was talking about. Back in his own world, he had always been buried in his own research. There was time for leisure but it was only an hour or so. His sleeping time was only three hours at most, and because he always returns to his bed late, he was too exhausted to change out.

Shen Jiayi raised his hands and touched the garment, completely ignoring his AI's last rebuke. _'It's really soft, ah… is this what real silk feels like?'_

[Small Candy: Based on the materials, it is not simply a pure silk garment. There are something that cannot be analyzed. To completely analyze the material, more data is needed.]

"Data, huh? _Xiao_ Tang, can you do a full analysis of this world?" Shen Jiayi asked as he walked around the room.

[Small Candy: Negative. The scope is too large and it is simply inefficient. It is advised to do so at a smaller scale.]

Shen Jiayi had already expected the answer, so he just nods his head. He saw a shelf filled with scrolls and books to his right. "How far can you go?" he asked again as he slowly approached the shelf. Taking one of the books, he flipped it open, only to close it down immediately. Shen Jiayi's face turned into a deep shade of red before he placed the book back onto the shelf.

[Small Candy: Taking where the master is standing as the centre, the scan can go as far as 40km radius.]

"O-oh…" Shen Jiayi stammered slightly. He was still feeling hot and bothered from what he had seen earlier. He was just about to say something else when the door to the room was suddenly opened.

It had been too sudden and Shen Jiayi was surprised to the point of having a small jump.

"Oh, you're awake! That's really good," Wei Wuxian said as he walked over to Shen Jiayi. When he was close enough, he suddenly frowned. Shen Jiayi was wondering if he had done something wrong when Wei Wuxian reached out to take a book from the shelf.

Looking at the book at Wei Wuxian's hand, Shen Jiayi realised that it was the same book that he took earlier. "I-I didn't look at it!"

The words had just come out of his lips out of reflex and he froze in place. He watched as the corner of Wei Wuxian's lips turned upwards forming a mischievous grin.

"Little brother, ah…" Wei Wuxian's tone had a hint of teasing as he snaked an arm around Shen Jiayi's neck and pulled him closer. Due to the height difference, Shen Jiayi's head bumped onto Wei Wuxian's abdomen. "How naughty of you. Even Wangji-xiong couldn't stand reading this. To think that you'd sneakily read this kind of book…"

"I didn't read it! I only manage to look at a page and I immediately closed it!" Shen Jiayi tried to defend himself.

"There is no need to be shy," Wei Wuxian continued his teasing. "To take interest in these things only mean that you're growing up!"

"Wei Ying! Are you done yet? Hurry up!" someone yelled from outside. The voice was slightly familiar to Shen Jiayi but he couldn't figure out who it belongs to.

"Ah, I forgot what I'm supposed to do," Wei Wuxian released his hold on Shen Jiayi and placed the book back in its place. Then, he took another book which was two rows above the one where the adult book was located. "And since you're awake, you come along too. That old man Lan Qiren wanted to see you," Wei Wuxian said.

After saying that, he leaned down and whispered to Shen Jiayi. "Be careful. He's been a bit angry recently."

_'If he's angry, then I bet it's your fault!'_

Of course, Shen Jiayi didn't voice his thought out. He glanced at Wei Wuxian's attire, then to the one on his body. Knowing that he's only wearing an inner garment, he assumed that it's very unsuitable to go out in this condition.

"Big brother, do you know where my clothes are? And... who changed my clothes?" he asked. His hands went up to the back of his neck and rubbed the area to calm his nerve. _'Luckily, they didn't remove my collar,'_ Shen Jiayi thought with a sigh of relief after feeling the presence of the collar.

"Your clothes? That reminds me, those younger disciples had a problem removing your weird clothes so I _helped_ them!"

"Help?"

"Tear it off. You were unconscious and dirty. We had to get you cleaned up so you can rest better," Wei Wuxian replied.

_'Xiao Tang, ah! Wasn't my clothes made from the best materials from the Interstellar Era?!'_

[Small Candy: Even the 'True Flame' can easily be extinguished by these cultivators, does the master think a piece of cloth can compare?]

[Small Candy: Wei Wuxian used his _qi_ to tear off the clothes.]

"Then, big brother... what am I supposed to wear now?"

"You can wear the _mourning clothes,_ " said Wei Wuxian in a nonchalant tone before quickly correcting himself. "I mean... you can wear Gusu Lan sect's outfit for now. Don't tell them I called it the mourning clothes."

After saying that, Wei Wuxian went over to one of the drawers near the bed and took out a set of well-folded clothes. He then handed them over to Shen Jiayi who only accepted them with care. "Here. You can wear them as you like. Do you know where Master Lan is?"

At this question, Shen Jiayi only shook his head. He had just woken up, and when he was carried over to this small dwellings, he wasn't even conscious. _'Xiao Tang, do you think you can figure out the layout of the area?'_ Shen Jiayi asked his AI.

The AI did not answer and instead, it decided to show Shen Jiayi the map of the area. The semi-transparent window appeared before Shen Jiayi and the small researcher quietly analyzed the map. Just from the layout, he understood his current position and the surrounding area. But there was no further information. For example, the map shows several buildings nearby but it did not have any information about what those buildings are.

Of course, there are someplace that Shen Jiayi could guess. For example, the location of the cold spring.

_'But what use is there knowing the location of the cold spring, ah! Xiao Tang, is there a way to get more information for the map?'_

[Small Candy: Master only need to know the place and I will save the information for master.]

His exchange with Small Candy was only an instant, once he got his answer, he looked up at Wei Wuxian again. "Big brother, can you wait for me? I don't know the place well. What if I got lost and end up going to the restricted area?"

"Without the authorization token, you won't be able to go past the barrier surrounding the restricted area. Don't worry though, since I'm around, you won't get lost," Wei Wuxian assured Shen Jiayi.

Nodding his head, Shen Jiayi went over to the bed and placed the set of robe on top of it. It was then that he realized something that he failed to notice before. _'Xiao Tang, give me an overview of my current condition!'_

[Name: Shen Jiayi]

[Gender: Male - Omega]

[Age: 7]

[Status: Green]

[Body Condition: Healthy.]

Almost immediately, the data appeared before Shen Jiayi which made him shocked. _'My injured arm was healed?'_ he thought as he looked over where his supposed fractured arm was.

"What's wrong? Why don't you start putting on your clothes?" Wei Wuxian asked as he noticed that Shen Jiayi didn't move after putting the clothes on the bed. "Ah, you did mention that you didn't remember anything. Did you forget how to wear clothes too? Here, let big brother help!"

"No need!!" Shen Jiayi immediately replied. But it was already too late. Once Wei Wuxian had made up his mind, there was no way he would change it. So, after a short futile struggle, Shen Jiayi gave up and simply let Wei Wuxian help him put the robes on.


	5. Chapter 5

"What is wrong with you, ah? I only helped you with your clothes."

Shen Jiayi ignored Wei Wuxian's chatter as he held the lapel of his robe close together. Wearing the outer sect's outfit, Shen Jiayi successfully blended with the rest of the world.

Walking out of the small abode, Shen Jiayi saw another two important figure. A young man with a fan on one hand, and a young man who sported a scowl on his face.

_'Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng...'_ Shen Jiayi could immediately locked onto their identity. He continued to eye them until his gaze locked with Jiang Cheng's. Seeing this, he jumped in surprise and in order to continue his act, he quickly hid behind Wei Wuxian, only peeking through slightly.

"Wei-xiong! There you are!" the first to greet them was Nie Huaisang. "Oh, the little one has woken up. No wonder you took a while."

"En. This poor little brother doesn't even remember how to put on his clothes. So I had to give him a hand," Wei Wuxian replied. "His memory loss seems severe. Luckily, he didn't lose his speech ability."

"Let's go, ba! If we keep Master Lan waiting, we'll be punished alongside you," Jiang Cheng said as he urged everyone to start walking.

"You guys could've gone without me," Wei Wuxian replied in a relaxed tone.

"And let you skip again? If Master Lan decided to complain to mom, we'll see how you deal with the aftermath!" Jiang Cheng retorted.

Wei Wuxian only gave a sheepish smile before finally taking a step forward. Without any knowledge of the area, Shen Jiayi can only follow suit. Along the way, they met with the Lan sect's infamous _Twin Jade_.

Shen Jiayi saw Lan Xichen who as usual, sported a smile on his face. When their gaze met, Shen Jiayi could only nod his head in a shy manner.

[Small Candy: This AI is surprised how very engaged into the act master is.]

_'Xiao Tang, just stay quiet will you? If you continue to goad me like this, I'll end up breaking out of character,'_ Shen Jiayi scolded his AI.

[Small Candy: As the master wish.］

After saying that, the AI didn't talk anymore. Shen Jiayi was relieved as he then continued to follow the crowd as they walked to the lecture hall where Lan Qiren should be waiting.

"Little brother, we still don't know your name, how should we address you?" suddenly Lan Xichen spoke up suddenly.

Shen Jiayi was following Wei Wuxian from behind closely, and when the question was brought up, Wei Wuxian had stopped walking to look over at him. It was only fortunate that Shen Jiayi didn't walk straight into the other youth.

Upon noticing how he suddenly became the center of attention, Shen Jiayi showed a nervous expression. ' _Xiao Tang! Help! How do ancient people introduce themselves?'_

[Little Candy: Didn't the master tell this system to stay quiet?]

Shen Jiayi: ...

_'Xiao Tang! I was wrong, ah! I won't tell you to stay quiet anymore! I rescind that order so will you please tell me?'_ Shen Jiayi ended up begging for his AI's help. _'I promise once we return to our real world, I'll give you a very nice update! I'll even create your very own life companion to accompany you!'_

[Little Candy: Really?]

_'I promise!'_

[Little Candy: According to the little information gathered, one can introduce themselves in three ways: By giving away their Family name and Given name; Giving away their Family name and Courtesy name; Giving away their Honorary title.]

[Little Candy: In this world, children are given courtesy name the moment they reached _Xiantian_ stage in cultivation. As for Honorary Title, one can either earn it, or it is given by one's martial master.]

[Little Candy: As master doesn't have both courtesy name and honorary title, master can simply introduce yourself how you would usually do.]

Shen Jiayi felt that his AI was trying to get back at him. After all, why would Little Candy give him a long, winded answer when he can tell him the last sentence right away?

Though Shen Jiayi felt wronged, he didn't say anything to his AI. After all, his AI is all he has, and he could trust Little Candy with his life more than these people before him.

After getting his answer, Shen Jiayi then composed himself before finally answering Lan Xichen's question. "I'm called Shen Jiayi, Jia written with the character 'family' and Yi with 'harmony'."

"A good name. Your parents must have been hoping that you would lead a good life and build a good family," the one who speak was none other than Nie Huaisang.

"I agree! Maybe when you're older, you'll be able to find a beautiful young maiden to marry with!" Wei Wuxian added in a playful tone. The huge grin on his face only add to his impish behaviour.

The omega Shen Jiayi: ...

"Don't joke around. That boy is still young. Don't corrupt him with such thoughts," Lan Wangji scolded Wei Wuxian immediately.

"Aiya! Lan Er- _ge_ , you don't know this but _Xiao_ Shen was readi-"

"I did not read that book!"

Knowing what Wei Wuxian had wanted to say, Shen Jiayi felt that he should cut off this man's sentence immediately. Or else, who knows what rumours will spread. He then went over to Lan Wangji, who was known for his strictness.

"Big brother, big brother! That big brother stored _Chungong_ inside his room!" Shen Jiayi said as he pointed at Wei Wuxian who's expression now changed to that of panic. Beside him, Nie Huaisang's face had also shifted slightly, but he quickly hid behind his fan. That was to be expected since those books were actually lent to Wei Wuxian by him.

As expected, Lan Wangji's expression changed and he glared at Wei Wuxian.

"Lan Zhan, ah! I can explain," Wei Wuxian slightly raised up both his hand as he took few steps back. Seeing that Lan Wangji didn't move, he thought that the other is giving him a chance to explain.

"Lan Er- _ge_ , you see, those books wasn't mine in the first place. I confiscated it from your junior brothers! I know that these books are prohibited from Cloud Recess so... In order to help and reduce your burden, I confiscated it from them! I was just going to hand it over to you after the lesson!"

_'Such a thick face! Which disciple of Gusu Lan Sect would dare to even touch chungong?!'_ Shen Jiayi thought to himself. He wasn't the only one who didn't buy Wei Wuxian's explanation. Both the Twin Jade of Lan Sect also didn't buy it.

"Hand them over now," was all Lan Wangji said in reply to what Wei Wuxian said earlier.

"Lan Er- _ge_ , if I go back there now, I will be late for Master Lan's lesson! Who will be responsible then?"

"Hand them over..."

"Lan Er- _ge_... Why are you trying to rush me?" Wei Wuxian asked. Then, the mischievous smile painted on his face again. "Oh, don't tell me... Are you actually curious about the content?" Wei Wuxian suddenly decided to tease Lan Wangji.

Lan Wangji's face immediately turned red. Unable to control his anger and embarrassment, Lan Wangji unsheathed his _jian_ and roared out Wei Wuxian's name.

"Wei Ying!" 


	6. Chapter 6

Shen Jiayi stared at Wei Wuxian who was punished by kneeling. Then, he glanced at Lan Wangji who is burning the _Chungong_ that he confiscated from Wei Wuxian's temporary abode. Further at a distance, Nie Huaisang could be seen feeling devastated that his collection was being burned, but unable to do anything for fear that he too would be punished.

[Little Candy: Master is really a white-eyed wolf. To think you would even do this to the main character of this story.]

_'Xiao Tang, if I didn't do what I did, I would probably be kneeling with Wei Wuxian by now! You know how fragile an omega body is,'_ Shen Jiayi replied to his system.

[Little Candy: Master sat in front of a computer almost 24/7. Kneeling for a few hours, I believe that master can do it.]

Shen Jiayi: …

Deciding to ignore his system's bluntness, Shen Jiayi moved his eyes toward Lan Xichen who is currently talking to Lan Qiren. _'Xiao Tang, can you eavesdrop on them?'_

[Little Candy: Preparing to eavesdrop…]

[Little Candy: Eavesdropping successful. Relaying the information to the master.]

As soon his AI finished informing him, he heard Lan Xichen's and Lan Qiren's voice in his brain.

"So, the younger disciple doesn't recognize him?"

"No. What do you think we should do to him, Uncle? He is young, and it appears that he has the aptitude to learn cultivation. Should we just adopt him into the sect?"

"We still don't know his character. Let's wait a few more days. Xichen, have you checked his cultivation level?" Lan Qiren asked his nephew.

"Not yet."

"En. Bring him to me," Lan Qiren said before he turned to Shen Jiayi.

Shen Jiayi whose eyes were trained on them as he eavesdrops were taken by surprise. He felt himself jump slightly before quickly averting his gaze, landing on Wei Wuxian who was still kneeling.

After a while, he heard footsteps coming closer and then, a gentle voice called out to him. "Shen- _xiongdi_ , please follow me to meet Master Lan."

Almost immediately, Shen Jiayi entered his acting mode and looked up at Lan Xichen, a nervous expression plastered on his face. "Big brother, am I in trouble?" he asked in a pitiful tone.

"No. You're not in trouble. Don't worry," Lan Xichen said with a smile as he assured Shen Jiayi.

"Then… why does Master Lan look angry?"

"Hmm?" Lan Xichen showed a slightly confused expression before he turned to look at his uncle.

The older male sported his usual frown on his face while looking at their direction. For someone who doesn't know Lan Qiren well, he does appear angry. Lan Xichen turned to Shen Jiayi once more and reassured the young boy: "Don't worry. That is just how he usually looks. He is not angry."

"Oh, then… I'll follow big brother," Shen Jiayi replied as he took hold of Lan Xichen's sleeve.

Finally successful in coaxing Shen Jiayi, Lan Xichen finally led the boy to his uncle. Lan Qiren who was waiting had been playing with his beard, eyes never leaving Shen Jiayi's figure. This, made Shen Jiayi feel even more nervous as he faced the old man.

"I heard that you are called Shen Jiayi?" Lan Qiren asked in a serious tone.

"Yes…" Shen Jiayi replied meekly.

"How far is your knowledge in cultivation?" he asked Shen Jiayi again.

As someone who was suddenly thrusted into the world of cultivation, Shen Jiayi doesn't know how he can reply to such a question. In fact, he was sure that he is still what these cultivators called _mortal_.

"I don't remember," Shen Jiayi replied after a while.

"Did you really forget everything?" Lan Qiren asked and Shen Jiayi nods his head. "You forgot everything, but you managed to eavesdrop through the barrier I've created?"

"…?!" Shen Jiayi was at first confused, but after he processed what Lan Qiren was saying, panic bubbled inside him.

_'Xiao Tang! Why is he saying that, ah?!'_

[Little Candy: Reporting to master, during the eavesdropping earlier, Lan Qiren had already found out the moment I broke through his barrier to relay the information.]

_'Why didn't you retract back?!'_

[Little Candy: Master only asked to eavesdrop. You did not mention any other countermeasure orders if I were found out.]

Shen Jiayi was rendered speechless by his AI. He felt extremely wronged. How was he to know that the _Immortal Lords_ would be able to sense his AI's sentience?

_'Xiao Tang, from now on, you have to make sure not to get found out by any of them. Form a firewall around yourself and never put it down unless I say so.'_

[Little Candy: Affirmative. Setting up firewalls… Setting up complete.]

"That… I…" Shen Jiayi's brain went on overdrive as he tried to think of an excuse.

"What else can you do?" Lan Qiren asked.

Not knowing what to answer, Shen Jiayi only lowered his head. _'Just what am I supposed to answer?'_

Seeing that he's not getting any response, Lan Qiren only sighed before he fished something out from his _qiankun_ pouch. It was a small crystal stone that was the size of the current Shen Jiayi's fist.

"Shen Jiayi, hold this and pour your spiritual energy in," Lan Qiren said as he handed the stone to Shen Jiayi.

Being the modern man he is, Shen Jiayi stared at the stone for a while before reaching out to it with his hand. Upon touching it, he could feel a cool sensation flowing through from the tip of his finger all the way up to his shoulder, making him pull back.

"What's wrong?"

Faced with Lan Qiren's inquiry, Shen Jiayi looked up to see the older male eyeing him with a questioning look.

"The stone... feels cold. I was only surprised," Shen Jiayi replied but in his brain, he was already asking Small Candy about what happened earlier.

_'Xiao Tang! What was that? That's not a normal cold like when you touch those pure jades that were excavated from Earth's remain! What happened?!'_

[Small Candy: Answering to the master, that phenomenon earlier is what a cultivator would refer to the absorption of spiritual energy. It seems that there are still Qi remaining within the stone.]

_'Then... how did I absorb it? Can I absorb the spiritual energy surrounding us?'_

[Small Candy: The spiritual energies around us are sparse. To absorb them, master would first need to gather them. But absorbing spiritual energies trapped within a medium like the stone in Lan Qiren's hand is easier. In the future, master only needs to touch them and let this system do the rest of the work.]

[Small Candy: Ever since arriving into this fictional world, other than the physical change of the master's body, there was also a slight change internally. I have a method that can help master cultivate.]

_'Did you not say that further method needs more research data?'_

[Small Candy: While the master was unconscious, this system was not idle. This place is rich with information so when the master was carried in, I was able to gain few research data.]

_'I see...'_

Having a basic understanding of what had happened, Shen Jiayi is no longer afraid. Taking the stone into his hand, he felt the cool sensation once more and held it tightly.

"Mn. It looks like your body still remembers despite your amnesia. Good. Now pour your qi into it."

Shen Jiayi could hear what Lan Qiren was saying and he showed the other a dumbfounded expression. "How do I do that...?" Shen Jiayi asked.

Lan Qiren: ...

After a momentary lapse of losing his speech ability, Lan Qiren cleared his throat.

"Try to feel out the spiritual energy within yourself and guide them through your meridians..." Lan Qiren began to explain the steps to Shen Jiayi who only became even more confused to the point that he felt headache incoming.

_'What spiritual energy? What meridians? I don't even know how to feel for the spiritual energy how can I guide them? Xiao Tang, help!'_

[Small Candy: Master, relax. Let me help. Once the master is used to it, master can do it himself in the future.]

As soon as the AI's voice left his brain, Shen Jiayi felt a something stir within his abdomen. The movement, if it were not for his AI informing him, would've alarmed him. But since he knew, he only felt that it was calming.

Closing his eyes, he focused on the sensation as it moves from his abdomen through his chest, to his shoulder, limbs and finally hand. The stone in his hand started to feel warm, then it turned icy cold. Opening his eyes, he saw that the stone appeared to light up but it was also surrounded by layers of mists.

Lan Qiren touched his chin before his fingers played with his beard, eyes never leaving the stone on Shen Jiayi's hand. "You... how did you even manage to cultivate?"

Shen Jiayi felt fear in his heart, wondering if Lan Qiren found out that he was not a cultivator. But the older man's sentence put him at ease.

"A man usually has more Yang energy, while woman has more Yin energy. Only then can the balance be achieved. But you... It looks like you have a rare body constitution in which you have more Yin energy as a man. It must've been hard on you," at the end of his sentence, Shen Jiayi could sense the pity within Lan Qiren's tone. Then, he felt Lan Qiren grabbed his wrist.

Shen Jiayi could feel a wisp of warm energy entering his body from where Lan Qiren touched him. He looked up at Lan Qiren who only stared at him eyes narrowing even further. After a while, he let out a heavy, disappointed sigh before he removed his hand. "Unfortunately, our Lan Sect don't have anything that is helpful for your cultivation. It really is a shame... Tomorrow, let Xichen send you down the mountain."

Shen Jiayi: ...?!

_'Did I just get kicked out?!'_

Shen Jiayi immediately looked over at Lan Xichen, sporting a wronged expression. Lan Xichen only averted his gaze in guilt, so Shen Jiayi could only lower his head. It seemed that his pitiful act was working because he heard Lan Xichen spoke not long after.

"Uncle, are you sure you don't have anything for Shen- _xiongdi_?"

Lan Qiren only shook his head. "If it was a normal body type that only has an excess of Yin energy, we do have a method to help him. But unfortunately, he has a pure Yin constitution. If it was _Di Yin_ or _Bing Yin_ , then we might still be able to find a compatible cultivation manual for him," Lan Qiren explained.

Lan Xichen immediately understood what Lan Qiren was trying to say. In this world, people with Pure Yin and Pure Yang constitution is already rare. It can be said that one out of million children that were born would have this kind of constitution and these children, would not be able to cultivate properly.

_Di Yin_ and _Bing Yin_ is actually the most common Pure Yin constitution. Based on what Lan Qiren was saying, Shen Jiayi's constitution is none of these two. "Uncle… What is Shen Jiayi's body constitution?"

" _Di Yin, Bing Yin, Bei Yin_ or _Nan Yin_ … If only his body constitution is any of these and there might be some hope for him to cultivate all the way to _Jindan_. I cannot figure out what his body constitution is, so it should either be the last three," Lan Qiren replied.

"In any case, there is nothing within our Lan Sect that can help him cultivate. Taking him as disciple won't bring the both of us any merit. In addition, having him here would bring danger to both him and other disciples," Lan Qiren concluded. "Tomorrow, bring him down the mountain."

Lan Xichen heard the firm tone of Lan Qiren and knew that there was nothing else that he could say to change his uncle's decision. With an expression full of guilt, he turned to Shen Jiayi. "Shen- _xiongdi_ , I'm sorry. Today, just rest up. Big brother will bring you down tomorrow."

_'Xiao Tang, with your current information tell me the chance of our survival if we go down the mountain and go find my baby.'_

[Small Candy: …]

_'Xiao Tang…?'_

[Small Candy: Master, please refrain from calling Xue Yang as your baby. It almost made this system freeze.]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I understand that in the novel, they didn't delve too much in cultivation. But I feel like I need to explain it slowly so that whatever Shen Jiayi can do in the future would make some sense.
> 
> In any case, Shen Jiayi was originally an omega. Then, after transmigrated into the book world, he was still an omega but during his transfer, other than his physical change, his body constitution also changed. It was only unfortunate that he is an Omega, thus the change made him have a Pure Yin body constitution.
> 
> Pure Yin and Pure Yang body constitution are very rare, therefore people with these kinds of constitution can barely cultivate to higher stages due to the fact that they are unable to balance the Yin and Yang energy within them. Special cultivation methods are usually required, or a partner that would willingly offer their Yin/Yang essence. In a worst-case scenario, they would need to find themselves a human furnace of opposite constitution.
> 
> On the other hand, people with Pure Yin/Yang constitution are also prone to be the victim of human furnace themselves. After all, with such excess of Yin/Yang essence, people can simply rob them of their essence in order to nurture their own spiritual energy. This was why Lan Qiren said that it is dangerous for them to keep Shen Jiayi because he's afraid that the temptation might be too much for their Lan Sect Disciples and may end up falling into the wrong path of cultivation.


	7. Chapter 7

Lan Xichen escorted Shen Jiayi back to the temporary abode. Along the way, Shen Jiayi had his system calculated their survival rate if they were to go down the mountain as he is. But unfortunately, no matter what the scenario was, Small Candy's answer for him was always the same.

[Small Candy: The survival rate if the Master were to go in this path is 0.076%, and that is 0.002% higher than before.]

_'Never mind… What you're trying to say is no matter what, as long as we go down the mountain as we are now, we won't survive. Then, tell me if there are ways for me to stay in Cloud Recess?'_

[Small Candy: There are several ways. The method with the highest success rate is for Master to prove that he can cultivate properly.]

_'How? That old man Lan Qiren said that there are no suitable method for me in Gusu Lan Sect!'_ Shen Jiayi wanted to curse his luck. He had transmigrated into a book and yet didn't have any golden finger like those protagonist in a certain novel. Not only that, he also didn't have any golden thigh to hug.

[Small Candy: Master shouldn't forget. Master created me to be the best AI System throughout the universe. Creating a new method for cultivation that is suitable for Master is possible, as long as Master is able to get some data for this AI.]

The moment Shen Jiayi learned that Small Candy would be able to help him, he now knew that though he wasn't given a golden finger upon his transmigration, he brought his very own golden finger instead. The gear of his brain started to move as he tried to think of the best way to get more data for his AI. It only took him a few microseconds before an idea popped into his mind.

Lan Xichen's figure walking before him seemed to be engulfed in light, and if Shen Jiayi were to describe it in modern gaming terms, it was as if Lan Xichen is an NPC that would give him his next quest. Hastening his pace, Shen Jiayi pulled on Lan Xichen's sleeves meekly, trying to get the other's attention.

Feeling the light tug on his robe, Lan Xichen paused in his step and glanced down at Shen Jiayi who is now looking up at him. "Shen- _xiongdi_ , what's wrong?"

"Big brother, are you really sending me down to the mountain tomorrow?" Shen Jiayi asked. "Right now, I don't remember anything, and I can't even remember the cultivation method that I practiced. If I go down now, isn't that the same as sending me into the tiger's mouth?"

Lan Xichen's eyes shifted slightly, looking away from Shen Jiayi's gaze. This little movement shows that Lan Xichen was feeling guilty but since he avoided in answering, he knew that there was nothing he could do. Lan Qiren already gave out his order and in order to keep their sect safe, Lan Xichen can only obey.

"Big brother, I will not ask much. There should be a few skill manuals in Gusu Lan Sect's library that can be shared to the outer disciple, right? Please, just let me learn one or two so that I can at least defend myself," Shen Jiayi gave Lan Xichen a puppy look. "It cannot be that people from Gusu Lan Sect is willing to send someone to their death, right?"

[Small Candy: Impressive! To actually remember that Gusu Lan Sect upholds morality, Master is trying to guilt-trip him. The success rate is 99.97%.]

"You want me to let you enter the sect's library?" Lan Xichen asked.

Shen Jiayi didn't think that there was anything wrong so he simply nods his head eagerly. After all, with Small Candy's assurance of a 99.97% success rate, he felt that it was already in the bag.

Sure enough, after deliberating for a while, Lan Xichen let out a defeated sigh. "Alright. I'll let you enter the library. But you will be on your own, I still have something to do. Once you have gotten what you want, you should return to your temporary abode. Shen- _xiongdi_ , can you promise me that?"

"I can promise. I still remember the way to that small house," Shen Jiayi immediately replied. Then, as if he was trying to prove to Lan Xichen that he'll be able to return on his own, he described the path and direction that he would take to go back to the small hut he woke up in earlier.

Only when Lan Xichen is satisfied did he finally lead Shen Jiayi to Gusu Lan Sect's library. The library pavilion was nothing that Shen Jiayi had ever seen before in his life. Back in his own world, there were no longer any physical library. Everything was put into a database and can be accessed online via a person's light brain.

_'Xiao Tang, ah! Hurry, hurry!! Record everything! Look at that beautiful steps, those woods, that tree, that…'_ Shen Jiayi was unable to stop himself from getting excited. While he let Small Candy fill up the database of this world, Shen Jiayi continued to follow Lan Xichen.

When they entered the library, there was another sect disciple who seems to be in charge of the library. As soon as the disciple saw Lan Xichen, he quickly stood up straight and greets Lan Xichen.

" _Zewu-jun_ ," the disciple saluted Lan Xichen and bowed his head slightly.

"En. I will only be here for a short while. Can you please give this little brother a token to access the outer section of the library?" Lan Xichen said as he gently pats Shen Jiayi's shoulder. "He will be here for a while to study on his own. Please help look after him," he added before he turned to look at Shen Jiayi. "Shen- _xiongdi_ , if there are any questions, you can ask him."

After that, Lan Xichen said a few more words to the disciple before taking a step closer and whispered to the other's ear. It seems that there was additional instruction that Lan Xichen didn't want Shen Jiayi to know.

[Small Candy: He only told the disciple not to let you enter the inner section of the library.]

The inner section of the library is where most of Gusu Lan's cultivation method and skill manuals are stored. There are three levels, the first levels were for the outer disciple, the middle level was for the inner disciple while the highest level was for Gusu Lan Sect's direct disciple. Then, there was the room of forbidden books, which can only be accessed by the direct descendant of the Lan family.

_'But of course, there will be a certain someone who could earn Lan Xichen's trust and have free reign to enter that room…'_ Shen Jiayi thought to himself as he was reminded of one character that will show himself in the future.

After Lan Xichen left, Shen Jiayi can only follow the Lan Sect's disciple deeper into the library. Not long after, the disciple stops and Shen Jiayi stopped a step behind him. When he turned to face Shen Jiayi, the suspicion was written clearly on his face. "You are the child that person surnamed Wei brought, right?"

Shen Jiayi blinked in confusion at the sudden question. _'What is this situation now?'_

"Yes…"

Though he doesn't know why the disciple is giving him a disdaining look, he could only answer for now. Shen Jiayi outwardly appeared polite, but inside, he was berating this Lan Sect's disciple. _'Did you just sneer?! Xiao Tang, did he just sneer at me for no reason?! Should I report this to Lan Zhan?'_

[Small Candy: Master, you are only imagining it.]

_'Then, do you think he's looking down on me?'_

[Small Candy: … yes.]

_'You've recorded it, right? Wait until I show Hanguang-jun and see if…'_

[Small Candy: Master, you're over reacting. Also, _Hanguang-jun_ doesn't have a light brain. How can you show him the recording?]

Shen Jiayi after being told off by his own system: …

"In any case, you better not cause any trouble like that person surnamed Wei. This is the token to access this section of the library. Don't wander too far inside. If you hit the barrier separating the inner section and the outer section, I will know," the disciple informed Shen Jiayi, his tone laced with a hint of warning.

"Jiayi understand," Shen Jiayi replied as he received the token.

"Good. If you need me, you can find me by the entrance. Remember, don't wander too deep," he reminded before finally leaving Shen Jiayi alone.

Shen Jiayi waited until the disciple was out of sight before finally rushing over to the shelves. He didn't have a single idea what he should be looking for so he simply took the first book he could get his hands on.

_'Xiao Tang, do you really think you can create a cultivation method for me with the information of these books?'_ Shen Jiayi asked.

[Small Candy: Positive.]

_'Very good!'_ Shen Jiayi exclaimed in his mind happily. Then, he suddenly remembered a certain scene in the novel that was related to this very library. _'When the Library Pavilion were burned down, there were a lot of books that were lost in the fire. Xiao Tang, since that's the case, let's just record every single book we can find!'_


	8. Chapter 8

Shen Jiayi spent hours in the library, reading the manuals while letting his AI do all the recording. After putting back the 40th books he had read, he finally decided to ask his AI about the method and how he can start cultivating.

[Small Candy: Did the master think that the books in the outer section can be helpful to be the base for a new cultivation method?]

Shen Jiayi: …

Feeling that he had been tricked, he couldn't help but speak out loud. "Then why did I spend hours here, ah! You tell me before I reboot your-"

[Small Candy: If you reboot me now, all the data gathered so far will be erased. Does the master still want to?]

Having left speechless twice in such a short amount of time, Shen Jiayi decided then that he shouldn't try to agitate his system too much.

[Small Candy: Master doesn't have to worry too much. Let's keep on gathering more data. This system is very close in figuring out on how the token works, and how to go past the barrier to get to the inner section.]

'Hmm… But since the books here are not useful for me, then I'll just let you gather the data. I won't read it anymore,' Shen Jiayi replied in his mind.

Just then, he heard footsteps coming from behind him and when he turned around, he saw that it was the disciple from before. He had an angry expression on his face, and Shen Jiayi didn't know how he had managed to ruffle the youth's feather when they were in two different place.

[Small Candy: One of Lan Sect's rule 'Causing Noise is Prohibited.']

After being reminded, Shen Jiayi finally figured out the reason. And it was confirmed when the disciple scolded him.

"Why were you being so loud? Please keep your voices down. It is prohibited to cause noise in Cloud Recess. Such loud voice may disturb other disciple who are meditating," he said to Shen Jiayi with a condescending look.

"I'm sorry. I'll keep that in mind, senior," Shen Jiayi replied meekly. The disciple merely huffed and walked away, once again leaving Shen Jiayi alone.

'Xiao Tang, they say that the people from Gusu Lan Sect are all righteous and their mannerism are top notch! Clearly that was not the case!' Shen Jiayi complained.

[Small Candy: Of course not all disciple of Gusu Lan Sect are like those inner disciple who have the sect rules ingrained within them bone deep. Remember Su She?]

The name had sounded familiar to Shen Jiayi, but he seems to be unable to remember who the character was.

[Small Candy: He is the person who will leave Gusu Lan Sect and form his own Moling Su Sect.]

'Oh, it's that guy…'

Shen Jiayi finally remembered who Su She was and almost immediately, he was filled with indignant. But since he wasn't important to Shen Jiayi, he decided to simply ignore it and continue picking up books within the outer section of the library. He quickly flipped through the pages, then placed it back before picking another one.

Since he didn't spend time reading this time, the time he took with each book was merely around three seconds. Another three hours passed, and Shen Jiayi finally placed the last book down onto the shelves.

[Small Candy: Data analyzing completed. Master, please take out the token that was given before.]

Shen Jiayi took the token out and stared at it. When he received it earlier, he immediately placed it inside his sleeve pocket without really inspecting it. Now that he had taken it out, he realized that the token was merely a piece of wood, carved into an octagonal shape.

On its face, Shen Jiayi saw a few symbols and characters engraved. He ran his thumb over it, feeling the smoothness of the craftmanship. "It is only a piece of wood, but its really beautiful," Shen Jiayi said in a soft voice.

[Small Candy: There is an array placed on the token. We will be modifying the array so that we can enter the inner section of the library. The first array is the concealment array. Please prepare to draw the array.]

'How am I supposed to draw the array?'

[Small Candy: Master's blood is now mixed with spiritual energy. It can be used to draw the array.]

'Xiao Tang, are you crazy?! You're asking me to spill my blood? Do you know how dangerous it is for an omega to spill their blood? The sweet smell would attract the alphas!'

[Small Candy: Master is over reacting. At the very least, master is the only anomaly in this world. There are no other alpha, omega or even beta in this world.]

Though Shen Jiayi knew that, he still wasn't able to control his own instinct when it comes to his own safety. 'Fine. Tell me what to do.'

Following Small Candy's instruction, Shen Jiayi bit onto his forefinger, breaking the skin and drew blood. Once he's finished, Shen Jiayi then stared at the token on his other hand.

[Small Candy: Projecting the image of the array for Master. Please make sure to draw them with no error.]

As soon as the AI finished its sentence, Shen Jiayi saw a semi-transparent window screen popped up before him, showing an image of an array. Shen Jiayi studied it for a while then proceeds to draw it on the wooden token. His finger moved fluidly, and before long, an exact copy of the image was drawn on the small token.

Not long after, he felt movement from inside his body, and assumed that Small Candy was moving the spiritual energy within him, guiding them to the wooden token. Soon, the blood on the token appeared to be absorbed and then, there was nothing. Shen Jiayi waited for a while, and there was still nothing.

'Xiao Tang, did it fail?' Shen Jiayi asked.

[Small Candy: No. It was a success. Did the master think that it will shine and make some sound effect like some kind of game after a successful craft?]

Shen Jiayi who was indeed assuming there was some kind of effect could only keep quiet.

[Small Candy: When the master is able to control his own spiritual energy in the future, you can inspect any items you crafted by scanning them with spiritual energy. Never be satisfied with a visual appearance of an item when it comes to magic tools.]

[Small Candy: Sometimes, the one with the ugliest appearance is more practical.]

[Small Candy: So, the saying that one should not judge a book by its cover apply even more in this cultivation world.]

'Alright, alright. I understand. So… what now?' Shen Jiayi asked his system.

[Small Candy: Let us go to the inner section of the library.]

'Won't we get in trouble if we get caught?' Shen Jiayi asked, feeling a bit worried. They are about to get kicked out of Cloud Recess tomorrow, and he was afraid that if they are caught now, they might get booted out right away.

[Small Candy: The master doesn't have to worry about that.]

Hearing this, Shen Jiayi let out a sigh of relief. But Small Candy continued:

[Small Candy: If we get caught, the one who will get in trouble will just be you, master. It has nothing to do with this system.]


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, I forgot how it wasn't mentioned anywhere in the novel the level of their cultivation so I am only grabbing on straws here.

Shen Jiayi quietly sneaked into the inner section of the library by following Small Candy's direction. The moment he broke through the barrier separating the outer and inner section, Shen Jiayi's heart began to beat faster. He stayed in place, half hoping he wasn't found out, and half expecting that some cultivator would come and reprimand him. But after counting to ten, he realized that no one seemed to have noticed that he had broken through the barrier.

[Small Candy: The master really doesn't trust this AI? I am hurt.]

_'Oh, no. It's not that. I was just... just didn't expect the cultivator really couldn't sense it.'_

[Small Candy: Of course. The array in the token has been modified. It is the same as the arrays that the disciple of Gusu Lan Sect have. Right now, the barrier thinks you are their disciple, thus it didn't send out any warning of an intruder to the sect.]

_'I see. Then, let's get everything here recorded!'_ Shen Jiayi thought excitedly. He ran over to the first shelf and grabbed the first book he found. He skimmed through it, letting his AI do all the recording. This continues, until he reached the last shelf, grabbing his 1,178th book.

[Small Candy: Master, someone has just entered the library and walked past the barrier to the inner section.]

Shen Jiayi heard his AI spoke and he quickly hid the book inside his robe, then looked around to find a place to hide.

[Small Candy: To your east, there is a small space behind the shelf. You can hide behind it.]

He didn't even wait for his system to finish speaking when he already dashed towards the spot mentioned. The space was really inconspicuous and there was a small rug on the floor. Without thinking, Shen Jiayi picked up the rug and covered himself with it.

Small Candy, who saw his action: ...

"Huh? The book went missing," not long after, Shen Jiayi heard a voice. It wasn't familiar, so he was sure that it belongs to someone he hasn't met yet.

"Su- _xiong_ , are you sure it's here?" there was another voice and Shen Jiayi could feel his heart started to beat faster. If it was one person, then maybe he could escape after distracting the other. But if it was two people, the chances are lower.

"Yes. I was sure that I hid it here before. Maybe someone else found it and return it to its original place... let's go there."

_'There? Where is there?!'_ Shen Jiayi started to get panicked. As he heard the footsteps getting closer, Shen Jiayi instinctively held his breath. _'Xiao Tang, help!'_

[Small Candy: It cannot be helped. Master, there should be a hidden trap door underneath you. Find the latch and go inside.]

Shen Jiayi quickly reached his hand on the floor and began to find the latch. The moment he did, he quickly opened the trap door and went inside. Naturally, the sound of door opening and closing would be heard and it alerted the other two people in the library.

"Who's there?!"

Hearing their voice, Shen Jiayi panicked even more and ran deeply through the hidden path. The stone path was formed into a stair, and if Shen Jiayi had paid attention, he would've realized that this was the only path to the Forbidden Room.

On the other hand, the two cultivators from before had already arrived at the location where Shen Jiayi was just moments ago. They saw the upturned rug, and a frown is formed on their face.

"There was someone here," the one surnamed Su, said.

"Su- _xiong_ , what should we do? We don't know how much they had heard! What if-!"

"Quiet! What if he's still around? Let's find this disciple first."

"But Su- _xiong_ , there wasn't even a lingering trace of spiritual qi. How can we find them?"

"Just-!"

"What are you two doing here?"

A voice suddenly sounded from behind them, enough to make them jump. They didn't sense there was someone coming and knew that the other's cultivation level is higher than theirs. Turning around, they saw Lan Xichen walking towards them.

" _Zewu-jun_."

Both of them saluted Lan Xichen who had just arrived. "What were the two of you whispering about?" Lan Xichen asked once he was close enough. He then saw the upturned rug and couldn't help but let a frown form on his face. "Did you do this?" he asked in a stern voice, turning to the two disciples.

"No. When we arrived, it was already like this!" one of them replied. "Right, Su- _xiong_?"

"That's right. We didn't do anything. We only came here because we heard something. I suspect there's an intruder!" the disciple with the surname Su added. "Or else, why would they run when we inquired about them."

Lan Xichen's frown deepened as he stared at the two disciples suspiciously. "Is that so? The intruder ran here?" Lan Xichen asked and the two only answer with a nod. "Alright. You, go and call my uncle. Su She, you stay with me and help me keep watch."

With Lan Xichen's words, the two disciples can only obey. One went to find Lan Qiren while the other who called Su She stays with him.

Meanwhile, Shen Jiayi was panicking, even more, when he heard Small Candy's report on how Lan Xichen is just outside that trap door he left from. _'Xiao Tang... tell me how bad our current situation is right now...'_

[Small Candy: As long as Lan Qiren didn't know then we should still be fine-... I retract back my word. Lan Qiren is here.]

Hearing this, the little omega couldn't help but curse the Lan family up to their ninth ancestor. He continued to rush inside until he saw rows of shelves. _'Since it is already like this. Might as well just...'_

Shen Jiayi went over to one of the shelves and grabbed a book, letting Small Candy record its content. One book, two books, three and four... Shen Jiayi's hand moved without stopping. Before long, he finished one row of shelf before moving on to the next one.

As time passed, the last book was placed on the shelf. Shen Jiayi who was waiting to be stopped felt that something was wrong. _'Shouldn't Lan Qiren already arrive? Xiao Tang, what happened?'_

[Small Candy: Earlier, Lan Qiren's whole presence disappeared after entering the library. So I do not know where he is currently. Lan Xichen and the other disciple with him are still in the same place.]

"Are you done?"

Hearing the familiar stern voice from behind him made Shen Jiayi shriek and jump in surprise. Turning around, he saw Lan Qiren glaring at him with eyes full of suspicion. "L-Lan...- _Xiansheng_..." Shen Jiayi timidly called out.

"Tell me. What were you doing?"

Shen Jiayi swallowed a mouthful of saliva before he turned the gear of his mind to try and think of a solution. "If I say... I was lost, would Lan- _xiansheng_ believe me?"

Lan Qiren only narrowed his eyes, clearly not believing the nonsense that came out of Shen Jiayi's lips. "Show me your token."

The tone that Lan Qiren used basically had told him that he has no choice but to adhere. Taking out the token from his sleeve pocket, Shen Jiayi meekly walked over to Lan Qiren before he held the token up for the older male.

He watched as the token was taken away from his hand. His eyes never left Lan Qiren's face as the older male inspected the token. "You modified the array in this token?" Lan Qiren asked.

Shen Jiayi only lowered his head, knowing that he had done something wrong. "Yes..."

"What were you looking for in this room?"

"I..." Shen Jiayi hesitated to answer. _'What am I supposed to answer? I shouldn't be here in the first place. In fact, I didn't want to get into this room at all!'_

"No answer?"

Lan Qiren's voice turned cold and suddenly, Shen Jiayi felt a heavy pressure pressing on his body. At first, he tried to resist it but Shen Jiayi is still a mortal and thus, was unable to handle the pressure from a peak _Yuanying_ cultivator.

Shen Jiayi was forced into his hands and knees. He felt as if the inside of his body was being crushed, and he also felt something wet trickling down from his nose. When he saw the red liquid drip down on the floor, he became even more alarmed. And even more so, when he heard Small Candy's next warning.

[Small Candy: Warning, Master's condition is going red. Advising the master to get immediate treatment!]

_'How?! I can't even lift my own body!'_ Shen Jiayi cried out.

[Small Candy: Apologies, master. That was an automated warning. As of now, Lan Qiren won't kill master. He merely wishes to knock master out while also gauging master's cultivation level. He suspected that master was hiding from him.]

_'Then if I pretend to be unconscious, will he stop?'_

[Small Candy: ... No. Unless master truly falls unconscious, he will not stop.]

_'Fuck me!'_

In the end, Shen Jiayi felt as if he had just placed a foot in a coffin before finally falling unconscious. Only then, did his body was relieved from the pressure that was exerted by Lan Qiren.

"Xichen," Lan Qiren spoke up.

Lan Xichen who had been quiet in the dark finally showed himself. When his eyes landed on the unconscious Shen Jiayi, he showed a guilty expression. "Uncle, Shen- _xiongdi_ is just a mortal. Was it necessary to be this ruthless?" Lan Xichen asked his uncle.

"And yet, this mortal was able to stand the pressure of a middle stage _Xiantian_. Also, look at what he did," Lan Qiren threw the token that was lent to Shen Jiayi over to Lan Xichen. "He did a modification on the array placed on that token. Do you still think that he's a mere mortal? Lock him up in the punishment room. When he wakes up, I will be bringing the other elders to interrogate him."

Lan Xichen stared at the token in his hand before letting out a heavy sigh. He walked over to Shen Jiayi and gently picked him up into his arm. Just as he was leaving, he heard Lan Qiren's voice again.

"He may have suffered internal injuries. Give him some medicine to help him heal."

"I understand, Uncle."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For future reference, the cultivation level I will be using will be listed as below:
> 
> Mortal > Body Transformation (up to 6th stage) > Foundation > Houtian > Xiantian > Body Transformation (Tempering Marrow) > Jindan > Yuanying > Lightning Tribulation > Dongxu > Kongming > Dujie lower stage > Divine Tribulation > Dujie middle stage > Divine Tribulation > Dujie peak stage > Divine Tribulation > Dacheng > Heavenly tribulation > Ascension
> 
> Not all will be used, probably. I will assume that Baoshan Sanren's cultivation rank to be the peak in MDZS world and place it at Dujie stage.


	10. Chapter 10

Shen Jiayi was roused to consciousness due to hunger. Out of habit, he called for Small Candy to make him breakfast. "Xiao Tang, the usual breakfast for me…" he mumbled in a soft voice.

[Small Candy: That would be impossible, master. Right now, we are not in the colony.]

"Huh?" Shen Jiayi's voice was laced with confusion. He tried to get up, and only then did he realize his whole body felt sore. "What happened…" he grumbled as he forced his eyes open. When he saw the unfamiliar ceiling, he finally remembered where he was. 

"Right. Right… that happened," Shen Jiayi said as he recollected himself. "Xiao Tang, how am I doing?"

The AI didn't answer and instead, it just showed to Shen Jiayi is current condition. A semi-transparent window appeared before Shen Jiayi's vision and he quietly read the information written on it.

[Name: Shen Jiayi]  
[Gender: Male - Omega]  
[Age: 7]  
[Status: Yellow]  
[Body Condition: Suffered heavy internal damage. Medicine had been given, waiting for full recovery - 2 hour and 17 minutes left.]  
[Suggestion for optimal recovery: Absorb and circulate the spiritual energy from the surrounding and use them to heal the damage to the meridians.]  
[Alternative: Meditate and reach the first stage of Houtian.]

"What of that old man Lan Qiren?" Shen Jiayi asked.

[Small Candy: As it is now 3am in the morning, he is asleep. It is expected that he will come over with several elders of Lan sect between 5am to 6am.]

[Small Candy: While master was unconscious, this AI has already formulated the best cultivation method for master. But this method can only be used until master reached Xiantian stage. By then, the efficiency of this method will be greatly reduced until we can find more data to improve the method.]

"With how Lan Qiren was acting before. Should we escape?" Shen Jiayi asked.

[Small Candy: At master's current state, it would be impossible to escape. The best course of action is to immediately increase your strength.]

[Small Candy: In addition, there are two disciple outside, guarding the door.]

Shen Jiayi was quiet for a while. As he contemplated at his current situation, his stomach rumbled. 'That reminds me... I haven't eaten any food ever since I arrived here.'

Forcing his sore body to sit cross-legged, he accessed his storage via the light brain and saw that there was only a single, chocolate bar left inside. Suddenly, he regretted not going out to buy more snacks before they did the experiment. Taking out the chocolate bar, Shen Jiayi could only inwardly cry as he rip open the plastic cover and took a small bite. 

He ate slowly, as if trying to savor what's left of it. When half was left, he decided that his hunger should be staved enough so he stored the remaining chocolate bar. 'Since it has gone like this, might as well save it for emergency purpose...' he sighed. 

'Xiao Tang, you said that it's best to increase my strength before we can escape. Have you already calculated everything? With your method, can I reach the first stage of Houtian before Lan Qiren wakes up?'

[Small Candy: Reaching first stage of Houtian is not a problem.]

'Alright. Then let's proceed.' Shen Jiayi then closed his eyes and followed his system's intruction as he began to meditate. He could feel the air around him shifts and he felt the temperature around him became lower. 

[Small Candy: Don't panic, master. This is normal. Because of your constitution, you have to absorb a lot of Yin energy. Yin energy are naturally cold, and that's why you are feeling the temperature drop. As long as you can regulate yout spiritual energy within you, you won't freeze.]

Shen Jiayi didn't understand what his AI had meant but because he trusted the system he created, he didn't open his eyes. If he did, he would've seen how the floor had been frosted over due to the cold energy. 

Outside, the disciple guarding the door could also sense the sudden change of temperature. They rubbed their hands, their arms, their shoulders, all in an attempt to keep warm. 

"Hey, this kind of cold is not normal, is it?" one of the disciple asked as he turned to his right, facing the other one. 

"No, it isn't. Have you tried using your spiritual energy to keep yourself warm?" the other asked. 

"I did, ah! But it doesn't seem to be enough." 

The two disciple looked at each other before they both shivered at the same time. Just then, a wave of cold winds rushed towards them, and into the room they are guarding. Only then did they realize something went wrong. 

"I thought the person inside is just a mortal with no cultivation! What is this? Why are all the spiritual energy rushing inside as if being absorbed?" the one who stood at the right side of the door asked. 

"Hey, shouldn't we go and call the elders?" 

"You go and call! I'll stay here and keep watch. What if this is a ruse so he can escape?" 

"But isn't the room being covered by an array? Can he still escape?" 

"Didn't you hear what they say earlier? He managed to bypass the barrier placed within the inner section of the Library Pavilion because of the modified array he made!" 

Only then did the disciple went off to find the elders to report the current situation. 

For a cultivator moving to one place to another is only a matter of seconds. For comparison's sake, the spot a person would take 10 steps to reach, a cultivator may only need a single step to reach the same place from the same spot. 

When the elders arrived, ten seconds hasn't even passed. But Shen Jiayi's absorbtion rate also wasn't slow. By now, the area surrounding Shen Jiayi's room was already covered in layers of frost. The poor disciple who had decided to stay is now a shivering mess. When he saw Lan Qiren, he walked over and saluted the older man. 

"En. Go and stand further away. Regulate your Qi and dispel the cold," Lan Qiren said, his eyes never leaving the door to Shen Jiayi's room. He could simply open the door and stop the other by force. But if he did that, he might end up damaging Shen Jiayi's root, and might even accidentally killed him. 

"Qiren, ah! What should we do? You've told us about this child's intrusion to the forbidden room. You mentioned that because of his constitution, there are no suitable cultivation method for him and he would be stuck at Qi Refining stage at most. But this... is he not going to break through to Xiantian?!" one of the Lan Sect elder asked. 

"That's right. It was only because we were assured that he wouldn't be able to make trouble that we didn't immediately hold trial for him. But at this rate, he may slip away out of fear. After all, Old Qiren here have scared him and even injured him ruthlessly earlier," another elder chimed in. 

"Then what do you expect me to do? Let him go unscathed after going through all the books stored in the hidden room?!" Lan Qiren couldn't help but feel wronged. 

"Old Qiren, ah... I heard from Xiao Xichen that when you found him, you didn't do anything at first. Only when he finished looking through everything did you approach him," one more joined the conversation and Lan Qiren could only massage his temple as he felt the incoming headache. 

While the elders conversed with each other, Shen Jiayi was focusing on consolidating the spiritual energy that he had absorbed while leaving the matter of absorbing the spiritual energy to Small Candy. To multi-task between consolidating and absorbing at the same time, even a one in a million genius cultivator would have trouble doing so. Luckily, Shen Jiayi have this cheat of an AI with him called Small Candy. 

Overtime, Shen Jiayi could feel the absorbtion rate has slowed down. Then not long after, he heard Small Candy's prompt within his mind.

[Small Candy: The surrounding spiritual energy has been exhausted, intitiating the halt of the absorbtion... Halting completed.]

[Small Candy: Assessing master's current condition...]

Shen Jiayi slowly opened his eyes and he could see a huge difference in his vision. Before, due to his work, he frequently had to face several screens. Sometimes, this continue for days and even with the advanced technology of the interstellar world, his eyes were still bad compared to normal. 

'But now, it has gotten worse?' Shen Jiayi frowned as the scene before his eyes is blurry. 

[Small Candy: Assessing complete.]

As soon as the sentence was heard, Shen Jiayi saw a panel appear before him. But due to his blurred visions, he had to squint his eyes to read the words on the panel. 

[Small Candy: Due to the changes detected within the master's body, this system shall adjust several assistive parameter. All parameter are set, removing the myopic assistant completely.]

As soon as Small Candy said that, Shen Jiayi could now see more clearly. The words on the panels began to take form and he could finally see his body conditions. 

[Name: Shen Jiayi]  
[Gender: Male - Omega]  
[Age: 7]  
[Status: Green]  
[Body Condition: Perfect Health]  
[Cultivation Rank: Xiantian, Middle stage, Seventh Grade]

Shen Jiayi blinked when he saw his ciltivation rank. He remembered that Xiantian comes after Houtian and to actually reach Xiantian, young cultivators needs a lot of training and resources which, usually their sect will provide only to those they deemed worthy. But he, an outsider of this world, actually went from mortals to Xiantian in a single night? 

To him, it was illogical. So he thought that maybe he had misread it. He raised his hand, wanting to rub his eyes when he noticed a black, slimy filth covering his hand. Almost immediately, his face turned ugly in disgust. 

It was only then did he realize that his whole body was covered in the same filth, even the clothing he wore was stained with the colour of black. 

"Xiao Tang! What is this?! Disgusting, and it smells bad too! Ah, I want to hurry and take a shower, a hot bath, clean this thing off!" Shen Jiayi complained. 

[Small Candy: Answering to the master's inquiry. Those are all the impurities that exist within master's body. Now that you have began cultivating, those impurities are all removed when you reached Xiantian.]

"Oh..." Shen Jiayi finally calmed down but it still doesn't change the fact that he is currently disgusted with his current condition. "Wait... if my whole body is like this, what about my face?" 

Rather than replying, Small Candy simply gave Shen Jiayi a mirror from their storage. The mirror appeared out of thin air, and Shen Jiayi, with his newfound reflex, caught it perfectly. But when he saw his figure reflected in the mirror, he ended up dropping the mirror as if he had seen a ghost. 

Before he could let out an anguish wails of discomfort, the door opened to reveal Lan Qiren and few other elders of Gusu Lan Sect. 


End file.
